Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-09
THE BURIAL OF PAsQUALE.
Body of the Veteran Ohicf of the Yumas
CremRted by His Tribe.

OremRted by His Tribe.
Yuma Seminal, May Il.
Pasquale, the famous veteran chief of
the Yumas, died on the night of the 9th
inst. 1t is supposed that he vas at least
100 years old at his death. The surgeon
generals report of 1876 claimed that he
was then over SO. His illness wss linger-
ing, but severe, superinduced by anxiety
for the welfare of his people during the
recent measles epidemic which swept
away over 100 of mis- relatives and sub
jects. Pasquale was remarkable man,
particularly noted for his intelligence,
courage anG physical strength. In these
respects he ranked iaT above Cochise,
Mana, Geronimo and other chiefs of Ari-
IONA tribes.
But little Of his history cen be learned
here General Heintzleman made him
chief in 1851, when ne established Fort
Yuma. With the exception of some
difficulties with the whites between the
years 1852 and 1856, Pasquale has been
friendly and peaCeable. He was Just
and fair-minded Indian himself and often
enforced discipline and obedience upon
refractory members of his tribe by
"snake-taillng, or the free use of the
hickory He was never known to drink
nor steal and the lash was the inevitable
penalty for those violating his example.
For the first violation, seven lsshes were
applied; for the second, fourteen lsshes;
for the third, tWehty-one, and increasing
thus for each repeated violation until the
Indian was either reformed or whipped
to death.
For weeks, wan and emaCisted, a mere
living skeleton, he lay upon his rude bed,
surrounded night and day by squaws who
kept up an incessant wailing that was
weird and unearthly in the extreme.
The end came on the night of the 9th.
During the remainder of the night the
older Indians completed arrangements
for his cremation, most of which had
been made days before. The younger
bucks carried the fireWood and caught
the horses that were to be slaughtered
to accompany the chief to his future
home.
Bright and early Tuesday morning,
many ladies and gentlemen from Yuma
repaired to the Indian village to witness
the curious and barbaric cremation Cere-
monies.
The village, situated directly west of
the hills upon which the fort is built, on
the California shore of the Colorado, is in
the midst of g fat covered with willow,
mesquite and cottonwood trees, which
grow abundantiy, Among these, the rude
huts or Wickiups of the Indians are scat
tered
The entire tribe had been notified, and
several hundred Yumas assembled about
the funeral pile. This was formed by dig
ging V-shaped hole seven feet long by
three feet wide. Along its sides large
sticks of dry wood were placed upright.
Between these sticks bed of dry tWigs
and brush was heaped and upon this the
body, we'll swathed in sheet, was placed.
Then came dry wood, next thick canvas
covering and upon this logs were piled
until the pyre reached seven feet
in height; then the worldly posses
sions of the old chief, comprising
an old-fashioned trunk, quilts, blank
cts, knives, bows and arrows, calico,
enr and variety of other things. Two
fine young horses, gsily rugged in bright
celored trappings, were brought to the
pile, alongside of which their graves had
been dug. Just before applying the torch
the poor brutes were knocked on the head